Improved process of making illuminating-gas



PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HOWVARTH, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED PROCESS OF MAKING lLLUMlNATlNG-GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,771, dated May 17, 1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN HOWARTH, of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process of Making Illuminating-Gases and I do hereby declare that the following description, taken in c0nnection with the accompanying drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification of the same, wherein I have set forth the nature and principles of my said improvements, by which my invention may be distingiiished from all others of a similar class, together with such parts as I claim and desire to have secured tome by Letters Patent.

The present invention consists in certain new and useful improvements in the process of producing illuminating-gases from hydrocarbon liquids" My improved process is as follows: By means of any apparatus suitable for the purpose I first cause a simultaneous mixture of superheated steam and any liquid hydrocarbonsuch as coal-oil, petroleum, resinous oils, &c.--brought in contact with the superheated steam in small quantities, and then pass the admixture through heated dry carbonaceous materials-such as wood, charcoal, coke, spent tan-peat, &c.-so as to permeate every portion thereof. By this process the liquid hydrocarbons are first vaporized, and then carried, with superheated steam, through highly-heated carbonaceous materials, by which the following result takes place: The vapors then furnished by the action of the superheated steam upon theliq uid hydrocarbons, while passing through the heated carbonaceous materials, are formed into hydrogen and carbon in a state of gas, while the superheated steam itself is resolved into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen of the superheated steam is absorbed by the heated carbonaceous material, while the two gaseous bodies of hydrogen (one furnished from-the superheated steam and the other from the vapors of the liquid hydrocarbons) unite with the carbon contained in the vaporized liquid hydrocarbons, and thus form illuminating-gas. Now, if it were not for the additional hydrogen supplied by the superheated steam the carbonaceous vapors evolved from the liquid hydrocarbons would not wholly pass over in the form of gas, but would form partly-condensable products, such as tar, 850. Thus it will be seen that I couvert all the liquid hydrocarbons into illuminating-gas by first combining them with superheated steam to volatilize them, and afterward passing the two together through heated carbonaceous materials, the superheated steam giving out sufficient hydrogen to absorbthe carbon of the hydrocarbon vapors, whereas if it were not for this extra supply of hydrogen furnished the carbon element would preponderate,and could not be wholly converted into gas, as its surplus would form condensable matter.

I am aware that hydrogen gas produced by the decomposition of superheated steam has, bya separate operation, been passed through liquid hydrocarbons of light specific gravity; but by my new process it will be seen that the hydrogen gas from the decomposed superheated steam and the vapors of liquid hydrocarbons are simultaneously chemically united by passing together through heatedcarbonaceous materials, and the result is the formation of illuminating-gas much more rapidly and in much larger quantities than by any process heretofore used. By the old method alluded to the carbonaceous element in the gas was obtained simply by absorption, and its quantity never could be varied, whereas by my process, by simply feeding in more or less hydrocarbon liquid the quantity of carbon incorporated with the illuminating-gas can be varied at pleasure.

In the accompanying plate of drawingsone form of apparatus by which my new and improved process hereinabove described can be carried out is represented, of which Figure 1 is a central longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, and Fig. 3 a horizontal section.

a a is the fire-pot; b b, the grate. The products of combustion pass from the fire-pot a through the open spaces 0 c on each side thereof, entering the central lines, at d, extending the entire length of the bench under the firetile floor 6, covering the flues. They then return in the two outside flues, ff, to the front wall, g, of the apparatus, passing up through apertures h h in the tile floor 6 into the oven ii around the retort 7c, diifusin'g themselves, and finally pass down the descending flue l to the chimney.

m m are superheaters resting on the tile floor e, and on the rear one, m, of which the retortkis placed. Steam isfed into the heater m at a, passing through the same to the heater .9, extending from the top-of the same to within a short distance from the bottom plate, leaving an opening, t, connecting the said compartments. The compartment q, I fill with wood, spent tan, wood-charcoal, coke, peat, or other dry carbonaceous materials. To the other compartment, 1', at the top thereof, superheated steam from the heater m is admitted through the pipep. The hydrocarbon liquids are fed into the compartment '1", containing the superheated steannthrough thepipev,havingasuitable'coek for rogulatin g the amount of the same. The liquid hydrocarbons are fed into the compartment r in small quantities, and, mingling with the superheated steam, become vaporized. The superheated steam and vapors thus formed then pass together into and up through the dry carbonaceous material in the other compartment, q, heated to a red heat. Thus the superheated steam is decomposed into its elementary gaseshydrogen and oxygen--the oxygen of which is absorbed by the fixed carbon within thelarger compartment q,which leaves the hydrogen to unite with the volatile carbon evolved from the liquid hydrocarbon, thereby giving the hydrogen its due quantity of carbon and making it-into a rich illuminatin g-gas. The gas passes through the exit-pipe W and into the tar-main :r in the usual manner.

By this process I am enabled to work up all the eondensable hydrocarbons, leaving no residue but dry coke.

It will be observed that by my improvements liquid hydrocarbons and superheated steam are first simultaneously brought in contact in aretort, and afterward passed through heated dry carbonaceous materials, forming a process the advantages of which have been hereinabove explained, and which has never before been conducted in a similar manner.

It may be here observed that it is desirable that the external heat applied to the retort should be only sufficient to prevent radiation, and that the superheated steam should perform the work of expelling the volatile products,the internal heat being greater than the external heat, so as to prevent destructive distill-ation.

llaving thus described my new process, what I claim as my invention, and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is-

The new process of makingilluminating-gas, which consists in first bringing superheated steam and liquid hydrocarbons in contact with each other in such a manner as to vaporize the latter, and then passing the two vapors thus formed and combined through heated dry carbonaceous material, as set forth.

JOHN HOVVARTH.

Witnesses:

Josnrn GAVET'I, ALBERT W. BROWN. 

